Selvage for hosiery and method of making same



Feb. 26, 1963 R. D. JOHNSON 3,078,697

SELVAGE FOR HQSIERY AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed Aug. 26, 1960 I-NVENTOR! ROY D-IoHNsoN wa wm ATTORNEYS 3,078,697 SELVAGE FUR HOSIERY AND METHOD F MAKING SAME Roy E. Johnson, Winston-Salem, N.C., assignor to H. E.

Crawford Company, Inc., Kernersville, N.., a corporation of North Carolina Filed Aug. 26, 19st), Ser. No. 52,123 (Ilaims. (Cl. 66-9) This invention relates generally to an anti-revel stretchable selvage for hosiery and more particularly to a selvage and method of making the same in which several rounds or strands of an elastic yarn are incorporated in the first circular course at the top of the hose in a novel manner.

It is well known to incorporate an elastic yarn in the initial course of hosiery while feeding the elastic yarn under sufficient tension to draw the stitch loops of the first course into close proximity and reduce the diameter of the selvage of the hose, the elastic yarn permitting the top of the hose to be stretched or expanded when desired. This type of selvage is disclosed in the Getaz Patent No. 2,344,350 and although only a single strand of elastric yarn is shown in the stitch loops of the first course, in most hose presently produced, several strands of elastic yarn are incorporated in the stitch loops of the first course. In order to incorporate several strands of elastic yarn in the first course, the elastic yarn is fed to the hooks of alternate needles for several revolutions of the knitting machine without clearing the latches of the needles nor casting loops from these needles until the body yarn stitches of the first course are formed. When the first body yarn course is formed, the elastic strands are cast off the needles and pass through all of the sinker loops while the needle stitch loops are drawn on alternate sides of the elastic strands. Thus, the sinker loops of the first course are merely looped over the strands of elastic yarn and while the sinker loops more or less group the elastic strands together, they do not prevent longitudinal movement of the elastic strands. The elastic strands stretch and contract each time the hose is put on and removed from the foot and this stretching and contracting causes the elastic strand to move longitudinally with the result that the elastic strands of the first course gradually lose their tension and the elastic strands protrudeoutwardly in loops between the sinker loops. These outwardly protruding loops are unsightly and may be easily pulled.

With the foregoing in mind, it is the primary object of the present invention to provide a stretchable antiravel selvage for hosiery in which several rounds or strands of an elastic yarn are interwoven with the first course of the body yarn to prevent relative movement between the knit stitches of the first course and the elastic strands.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a selvage for hosiery in which several strands of an elastic yarn are interwoven with the knit stitches of the first course to prevent lessening of the tension in the elastic strands and to prevent slippage of the knit stitches along the elastic strand-s.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a selvage for hosiery of the type described in which the elastic strands may be interwoven with the knit stitches in an efficient and economical manner.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of a half hose which is typical of the type of hosiery with which the present invention may be employed;

FIGURE 2 is a greatly enlarged fragmentary eleva- 3,078,697 Patented Feb. 26, 1963 tional view of the improved selvage of the present invention, including the knit fabric in the area enclosed by the dotted rectangle indicated at 2 in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view through the selvage taken along the line 3-3 in FIG- URE 2;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged plan view looking in the direction of the line 44 in FIGURE 2.

As shown in FIGURE 1, the hose H includes a knit cuff it), a leg 11, a heel pocket 12, a foot portion 13 and a toe pocket 14 which may be knit of any suitable body yarn such as indicated at B in FIGURES 2, 3 and 4. Referring to FIGURE 2, it will be noted that the selvage S includes a plurality of strands or rounds of an elastic yarn indicated at E-1 through E-4 which are incorporated in the stitch loops of the first course C-1 of the body yarn B.

In course C-l the elastic strands 15-1 and E2 pass in front of both legs of the needle loops formed in wales W-l, W-3 and W-S and pass behind both legs of the needle loops formed in wales W-2 and W-4. On the other hand, the elastic strands E-3 and E4 pass behind both legs of the needle loops in wales W-l, W-3 and W-S and in front of both legs of the needle loops formed in wales W2 and W-4. It will be noted that all of the elastic strands E-l through E-4 extend through all of the sinker loops which connect the legs of the needle loops in adjacent wales. Thus, the elastic strands E-l, E-Zand E3, E4 are interwoven with the legs of the needle loops in every needle wale and extend through every sinker loop of the first course C1 knit of the body yarn B.

This interweaving of the elastic strands with the knit stitches of the selvage or first course prevents relative movement between the stitch loops and the elastic strands to thereby prevent longitudinal movement of the elastic strands while the interweaving does not restrict the extensibility of the fabric at the selvage of the hose. The interweaving of the elastic strands is clearly shown in the plan view (FIGURE 4) wherein the pairs of elastic strands pass alternately behind and in front of the legs of the needle loops in adjacent needle wales. The interweaving of the pairs of elastic strands with the stitch loops of the first course of body yarn is also clearly shown in the sectional view (FIGURE 3) wherein the the pairs of elastic strands pass through the sinker loops.

The courses C-2, C-3 and C-4 below the selvage S may be formed in any desired manner. For example, the body yarn B can be knit to form plain or rib knit courses with or without an elastic yarn incorporated therein. As illustrated, the courses 0-2, C-3 and C-4 are formed with plain stitches While inlaying an elastic yarn E therein to produce a mock rib effect very closely resembling a 1 x 1 rib fabric, however, the elastic yarn may be interknit with the body yarn if desired.

The selvage of the present invention may be knit on any circular knitting machine having cylinder needles which are selectively movable to take an elastic yarn in their hooks. In forming the selvage shown, the elastic yarn is first fed into the hooks of alternate needles, such as the needles in wales W-2 and W-4, during two complete rotations of the needle cylinder to interlace the elastic strands E-l and E2 in front of alternate needles and behind intervening needles. Then, in the next two succeeding rotations of the needle cylinder, the elastic yarn is fed to the hooks of intervening needles, such as the needles in wales W-l, W-3 and W-S, to interlace the elastic strands E-3 and 13-4 in front of intervening needles and behind alternate needles. During these first four revolutions, the needles are not permitted to knit but the elastic yarn is merely held in their hooks.

Elastic strands E-l through E-4 may be selectively is fed to the needles by any one of several well known and conventional means, such as for example the mechanism shown in St. Pierre Patent No. 2,131,720 with suitable selection provided to first raise alternate needles and then intervening needles.

With the next rotation of the needle cylinder, the body yarn B is fed to all of the needles and the needles are lowered to stitch drawing position to form the needle wale loops in every wale of course C-1 while casting off the four strands of the elastic yarn previously fed to the needles. Thereafter, the body yarn B forms the courses C-2, C-3 and C-4 of the cuff it of the hose while the elastic yarn E is incorporated in alternate wales of the fabric.

In the selvage shown, the elastic yarn is fed to alternate needles for two revolutions of the machine and then fed to intervening needles for the next two succeeding revolutions, however, it is to be understood that the elastic yarn may be fed to alternate needles for one revolution, fed to intervening needles for the next revolution, fed to alternate needles in the next revolution and then fed to intervening needles during final revolution before making the first body course, if desired. Also, although four strands or rounds of elastic yarn are fed to the needles before forming the first body yarn course, it shou'd be understood that the lastic yarn could be fed to the hooks of needles for as few as two revolutions or for as many as six or eight revolutions of the knitting machine before drawing the first course of the body yarn, depending upon how many strands of elastic yarn the hooks of the needles can hold before becoming overloaded. The body yarn B may be either elastic or non-elastic and the elastic yarn B may be of the covered rubber type or it may be any other suitable type of stretchable yarn.

Thus, in the selvage of the present invention, the elastic strands are interlaced or interwoven with the stitches of the first course of body yarn in such a manner as to prevent relative movement between the body yarn stitches and the elastic strands and thereby prevent longitudinal movement of the elastic strands while permitting full extensibility of the selvage of the hose.

In the drawings and specification there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention and, although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims.

I claim:

1. An elastic selvage for circular knit hosiery comprising a first body yarn course having needle wale stitch loops and sinker loops connecting said stitch loops, and a plurality of strands of elastic yarn incorporated in said first body yarn course, each strand of said elastic yarn extending through every sinker loop of said body yarn course, and at least a strand of said elastic yarn being positioned in front of each of said needle wale stitch loops, and at least a strand of said elastic yarn being positioned behind each of said needle wale stitch loops.

2. An elastic selvage for circular knit hosiery comprising a first body yarn course having needle wale stitch loops and sinker loops connecting said stitch loops, and a plurality of strands of elastic yarn incorporated in said first body yarn course, each strand of said elastic yarn extending through every sinker loop of said body yarn course, and strands of said elastic yarn being positioned in front of and behind each of said needle wale stitch loops of said selvage.

3. An elastic selvage for circular knit hosiery comprising a first body yarn course having needle wale stitch loops and sinker loops connecting said stitch loops, and four strands of elastic yarn incorporated in said first body yarn course, each strand of said elastic yarn extending through every sinker loop of said body yarn course, and two strands of said elastic yarn being positioned in front of and behind each of said needle wale stitch loops of said selvage.

4. An elastic selvage for circular knit hosiery comprising a first body yarn course having needle wale stitch loops and sinker loops connecting said stitch loops, and a plurality of strands of elastic yarn incorporated in said first body yarn course, each strand of said elastic yarn extending through every sinker loop of said body yarn course, at least one strand of said elastic yarn being positioned in front of alternate stitch loops and behind intervening stitch loops, and at least one strand of said elastic yarn being positioned behind alternate stitch loops and in front of intervening stitch loops.

5. An elastic selvage for circular knit hosiery comprising a first body yarn course having needle wale stitch loops and sinker loops connecting said stitch loops, and a plurality of groups of strands of elastic yarn incorporated in said first body yarn course, each strand of said elastic yarn extending through every sinker loop of said body yarn course, one group of strands of said elastic yarn being positioned in front of alternate stitch loops and behind intervening stitch loops, and another group of strands of said elastic yarn being positioned behind alternate stitch loops and in front of intervening stitch loops.

6. An elastic selvage for circular knit hosiery comprising a first body yarn course having needle wale stitch loops and sinker loops connecting said stitch loops, and a plurality of pairs of strands of elastic yarn incorporated in said first body yarn course, each strand of said elastic yarn extending through every sinker loop of said body yarn course, one pair of strands of said elastic yarn being positioned in front of alternate stitch loops and behind intervening stitch loops, and another pair of strands of said elastic yarn being positioned bchind alternate stitch loops and in front of intervening stitch loops.

7. A method of knitting an elastic selvage for hosiery on a knitting machine having a circular series of needles carried in a rotatable cylinder which comprises the steps of feeding an elastic yarn to alternate needles for at least one rotation of the needle cylinder without knitting, feeding the elastic yarn to intervening needles for at least one succeeding rotation of the needle cylinder without knitting, and then feeding a body yarn to all needles and knitting to form body yarn stitch loops on all needles.

8. A method of knitting an elastic selvage for hosiery on a knitting machine having a circular series of needles carried in a rotatable cylinder which comprises the steps of feeding an elastic yarn to alternate needles for two rotations of the needle cylinder without knitting, feedmg the elastic yarn to intervening needles for two succeeding rotations of the needle cylinder without knitting and then feeding a body yarn to all needles and knitting to form body yarn stitch loops on all needles.

9. A method of knitting an elastic selvage for seamless hosiery comprising steps of forming four successive circular strands of elastic yarn to form first and second pairs of strands of elastic yarn, and then knitting a first body yarn course having successive stitch loops and loops connecting said stitch loops while interweaving the stitch loops and the connecting loops with the first and second pairs of strands by passing each strand of the elastic yarn through every one of the connecting loops while forming alternate stitch loops of the first body yarn course in front of the first pair of strands of elastic yarn and behind the second pair of strands of elastic yarn and while forming intervening stitch loops of the first body yarn course behind the first pair of strands of elastic yarn and in front of the second pair of strands of elastic yarn.

10. An elastic selvage for seamless hosiery comprising yarn extending through every one of the loops con- 5 necting said stitch loops, alternate stitch loops of said first body yarn course being positioned in front of said first pair of strands of elastic yarn and behind said second pair of strands of elastic yarn, and intervening stitch loops of said first body yarn course being positioned 10 behind said first pair of strands of elastic yarn and in front of said second pair of strands of elastic yarn to thereby interweave said stitch loops and the loops conmeeting said stitch loops with said first and second pairs of strands of elastic yarn.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,054,217 Getaz Sept. 15, 1936 2,139,606 Scholz Dec. 6, 1938 2,173,646 Bunton Sept. 19, 1939 2,231,434 Cantner Feb. 11, 1941 2,241,291 Bunton May 6, 1941 2,598,144 Smith May 27, 1952 2,799,151 Edler et a1. July 16, 1957 2,976,707 Levin Mar. 28, 1961 

1. AN ELASTIC SELVAGE FOR CIRCULAR KNIT HOSIERY COMPRISING A FIRST BODY YARN COURSE HAVING NEEDLE WALE STITCH LOOPS AND SINKER LOOPS CONNECTING SAID STITCH LOOPS, AND A PLURALITY OF STRANDS OF ELASTIC YARN INCORPORATED IN SAID FIRST BODY YARN COURSE, EACH STRAND OF SAID ELASTIC YARN EXTENDING THROUGH EVERY SINKER LOOP OF SAID BODY YARN COURSE, AND AT LEAST A STRAND OF SAID ELASTIC YARN BEING POSITIONED IN FRONT OF EACH OF SAID NEEDLE WALE STITCH LOOPS, AND AT LEAST A STRAND OF SAID ELASTIC YARN 